The Hollard Insurance Group (comprising the Hollard Insurance Company and Hollard Life Assurance Company) is South Africa’s largest privately-owned insurance group, established in 1980.

Although we’ve only been around for just over 30 years, the roots of the company go way back into the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was then that an insurance broker, Robert Enthoven, realised that insurance companies were not adequately meeting the needs of their corporate customers. He had an idea to start an insurance company that formed deep and long-term partnerships with corporate customers in a way that allowed them to share in the fruits of improved risk management. Out of this spirit of true partnership the Hollard Insurance Company was born.

Since the early days, Hollard has gone from strength to strength, but we’ve never forgotten our roots – long term, genuine and mutually beneficial partnerships form the core of everything that we do as an insurance group today.

Some call it our culture, some call it our ethos and some Hollardites call it the Hollard mystique. It’s really just the Hollard way. It’s something that we’re passionate about and something that’s continuously evolving, but it’s something that every Hollardite knows instinctively and brings to their day-to-day activities.

At our core lies the concept of doing things differently, not for the sake of being different, but for the purpose of truly making a significant difference. We want to make a positive change in the lives of our customers, our partners, our suppliers, our communities and the broader South Africa.

Although we have a set of important core values, we believe that it’s more than a list of values that sets a company apart. What really sets you apart is the extent to which exemplary values are actually lived, and at Hollard, we live each value every day.

As a Hollard customer, you can expect to be treated with respect, dignity and above all, a sense of common humanity. We expect to be held to the highest standards and while we certainly can’t claim to always get it right, we’ll try our absolute best to live up to your expectations.

Insurance is a serious business and we take what we do very seriously. We’re also good at it, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Our business is largely focused on progression, it's deeply embedded in the way we think, feel and make decisions. That’s why we believe Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is more than a regulatory requirement, it’s a prerequisite for South African businesses to move forward, develop and become more inclusive.

As a truly transformed company, ‘unity in diversity’ is a distinctive feature of our culture. It helps us guide the customer experience and the way we treat each other as a diverse range of Hollardites. This also empowers us to contribute to the sustained growth and development of our country and our people. In addition, we’re one of the first South African companies to launch Zimele-approved life products to the under-served market.

Embracing diversity

We’re committed to the transformation of our country and economy. Proof of this is our A-rating, accredited by the Financial Sector Charter Council (confirmed by Empowerdex) and the appointment and development of black South Africans at all levels within our business. We’re proud of our track record and remain committed to ensuring that we constantly provide an environment in which diversity is embraced.

Our transformation philosophy

Our vision is to develop a supplier network that meets BEE requirements, as we strongly support these initiatives. When we look at suppliers for long-term partnerships, BEE is one of the key factors we consider.

Our current BEE rating is at Level 4

In 2008, we successfully achieved our target of 50% Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) procurement spend, and we’re well on the way to meeting our 70% target by 2014. We feel it’s essential for us to report on the BEE status of all our suppliers. We acquire BEE ratings through a certificate provided by a South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) approved verification agency. We’ve secured discounted rates for Hollard select suppliers, partners and brokers with Honeycomb, a SANAS accredited verification agency.

Click here for more on the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)

Our success has been built on the concepts of partnership, people and innovation. Of these, our approach to partnership is probably the thing that differentiates us most as an insurance company.

At Hollard, partnership means an engagement built on what we call the “win-win-win” – we won’t enter into a partnership unless Hollard, our partner and the insurance-buying customer are all able to win.

The second unique aspect of our approach recognises that partnership is about being together through the rough and the smooth. Because we’re privately owned, we’re able to take a longer term view of opportunities and this helps us deal with the trials and tribulations that will inevitably characterise any partnership. We’re very proud to still have partners that have been with us since we became an insurance company in 1980.

Another thing that distinguishes our partnership approach is our willingness to partner with a large variety of different entities. From financial institutions to some of South Africa’s largest retailers, from traditional insurance intermediaries to soccer clubs, we’ve partnered wherever we can create a better value proposition for all players in the insurance value chain.

The real reason we partner is because we know that our partners know things that we don’t and that we know things they don’t. By combining our efforts, we’re able to make 1 plus 1 equal 3 for our consumers.

The Hollard Insurance Company LTD, registration number 1952 / 003004 / 06

Active Directors / Officebearers

• Ross, Ian Howell (Director)
• Fihrer, Robert (Director)
• Ngonyama, Babalwa (Director)
• Shirilele, Nyeleti Louella (Company Sectratary)
• Masondo, Happy (Director)
• Mparutsa, Takudzwa Brooks Takundanyika (Director)

The Hollard Life Assurance Company, registration number 1993 / 001405 / 06

Active Directors / Officebearers

• Kohler, Nicolas Godfrey (Director)
• Ngonyama, Babalwa (Director)
• Enthoven, Richard Henry (Director)
• Munro, Alexander Reginald (Director)
• Mohale, Bonang Francis (Director)
• Mparutsa, Takudzwa Brooks Takundanyika (Director)
• Masondo, Happy (Director)
• Fihrer, Robert (Director)
• Shirilele, Nyeleti Louella (Company Sectratary)